Toyota launched a bombshell this week at the New York International Auto Show: A dramatically redesigned 2013 Avalon guaranteed to turn heads.
In fact the car is so different from anything ever seen with an Avalon nameplate that Toyota is calling it a complete reconception of the nameplate.

 
“The new Avalon is re-conceived for the premium mid-size sedan segment with a progressive and emotionally styled exterior design,” a Toyota news release says.” When it arrives to dealerships late this year, the new Avalon …

Hey, if you’re looking to turn heads, and open up some ears with some sexy exhaust pipe rumblings, you will find it hard to beat a 2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe. 
And the cool thing about Infinitis is that although many refinements are made on the brand’s products with each model change, there are not huge variations from year to year on styling. So that means that your used G37 will look every bit as hot as the 2012 version. Few people …

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By John Heilig
 2012 Cadillac SRX
Engine: 3.6-liter V6
Horsepower/Torque: 308 hp @ 6,800 rpm/265 lb.-ft. @ 2,400 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 110.5 in.
Length x Width x Height: 190.3 x 75.2 x 65.7 in.
Tires: P235/55R20
Cargo: 29.2/61.1 cu. ft. (behind 3rd row/3rd row folded)
Economy: 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway/16.2 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 21.0 gal.
Curb Weight: 4,277 lbs.
Sticker: $36,000 (base)
Five reasons to buy this car:
1. Very nice package
2.  Good performance for a CUV
3. Cadillac comfort in a SUV package
4. Excellent heater
5. Good handling
The Bottom Line: …

By Don Hammonds
It’s that time for Mercedes-Benz’s storied SL —–the unveiling of an all-new generation to tempt and delight lovers of fine cars everywhere.
It will make its debut at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

And when we say all-new, that’s just what we mean.  For the first time in its history, the SL will have an all-aluminum body, a sensible move given concerns in the industry about stringent new fuel mileage regulations and getting the …

By Don Hammonds
It’s wonderful when you have a wealth of choices, whether it’s a menu at a terrific restaurant–or for a new automobile.
In the entry level luxury field, you have a number of excellent alternatives, and it’s not a matter of one being better than the other–it’s more a matter of knowing who you are and what you want to present to the world as you drive around in your new wheels.
Of course, Audi’s 2012 A4 appeals to the designer …

Ready to go off-roading fast — -real fast?
You might want to take a look at the upcoming  Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG sport utility vehicle, which made its debut recently at the 2011 Los Angeles International Auto Show.

We’re talking  a whopping 518 horsepower, with 516 lb-ft of torque coming from  a direct-injection, biturbo V8 that produces 518 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque.  By the way, if that gives you heart palpitations, Mercedes also will have the  V8-powered ML550 (402 hp, 443 lb.-ft.) available in …

     Cadillac’s long awaited XTS, a full-sized sedan laiden with new technlogy, made its appearance at the Los Angeles International Auto show.

It will replace both the DTS and STS models in the Cadilac showroom, and it should arrive in showrooms sometime in spring of next year.
A Cadillac news release called it “the most technologically advanced production car in the brand’s history.”
The release added, “Larger than the CTS, the new XTS delivers the space, elegance and dramatic presence that are Cadillac signatures, …

 
By Don Hammonds, executive editor
This model year promises to be a blockbuster one, with so many new models coming out that you’ll need a scorecard to keep up with it all.
Yet, amid the dozens of new models, and hundreds of continuing ones, there are still some diamonds that we believe will shine far above the others before the model year’s out. 
We selected our picks based on their impact on the automotive market, their uniqueness, in some cases, their transformations from …

By John Heilig
Model: 2011 Chrysler 300 C AWD
Engine: 5.7-liter HEMI V8
Horsepower/Torque: 363 hp @ 5,200 rpm/394 lb.-ft. @ 4,200 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 120.2 in.
Length x Width x Height: 198.6 x 75.0 x 59.2 in.
Tires: P255/55R19
Cargo: 16.3 cu. ft.
Economy: 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway/17.4 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 19.1 gal.
Curb Weight: 4,513 lbs.
Sticker: $46,880 (includes $825 destination charge, $5,735 in options)
Five reasons to buy this car:
1. Large, comfortable
2.  Smooth
3. Luxury (but not too much)
4. Power
5. Very good handling
The Bottom Line: Is this …

 
By Don Hammonds
Audi’s cars have always spoken to the designer and artist in all of us. 
They have clean, crisp lines, incomparable interiors in materials and combinations that nobody else will touch. Though Audis have always been known for high quality, breathtaking performance, and top notch technology, in our view at Automobile Journal, it is–and probably always will be–sensitive, well-done aesthetics that will continue to distinguish Audis in the future. 
  A case in point is the all-new Audi A6.  It remains …